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I'm planning on taking notes on my laptop when I can, but as far as organizationally, what is better binders or notebooks? I've generally preferred binders for classes that are paper heavy because then I can put printed material, cases, etc., in with my notes in an organized way. But I'm wondering if binders are too much.

Any insight would be helpful.

I found it really depended on the class. I used notebooks for most classes but there were 1 or 2 classes a year that were really paper-heavy and for those I used binders. For doctrinals where you're exclusively or almost exclusively using a casebook, you don't need a binder.

I would start with a notebook for each class and an 8-pocket folder (I used one folder like this for 4 classes: https://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Products- ... B004E2IOWQ) or you can just use an individual folder per class - I just found it easier to have everything in one place. If you find that one of your classes has a lot of printouts then you can start a binder.

Agree with blueapple - it's going to depend a lot on your classes and your own personal preferences. Most classes probably won't have a ton of handouts or printed material provided by the prof., and most of the stuff you print on your own won't be particularly relevant in class for long, so a notebook is fine. Definitely took a few classes where a binder was ultimately required, but it's not where I would start (particularly for the item I'm lugging to class every day - having a binder or two at home with everything you've done throughout the semester is a different matter). Also, if you're the kind of person who feels 'safer' in class having everything at your fingertips, even stuff you did a week or two ago, you may want to start with a thin binder earlier.

Oh, also, if you do binders be sure they look exceptionally organized (maybe with some colored tabs and divider sections) to make your classmates nervous.

Did you guys find that it was easier to take notes in a notebook rather than on an iPad or laptop?